Naruto: The Sealer
by Masked Shinobi
Summary: Naruto is a Sealer, a person with the ability to engage supernatural beings, though only a beginner. He's suddenly thrown deeper into a world he thought he knew and learns that things are not what they seem. Narusaku.
1. Caged Bird Part 1

**Well, I'm here today with my very first story. I've had this idea for a while and finally decided to write, I hope you guys like it. **

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><p><em>A new case…<em>

_Husband had cheated on his wife._

_Cursed with horrible nightmares. _

_An accident that could have been avoided. _

_Death…_

_Unleashing the spirit._

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><p>"W-What the hell is that!" A man exclaimed as he fell on his butt and moved backwards with a look of terror on his face.<p>

He looked everywhere on the small dark room with dim red lights that only showed a bit of the walls he had seen every morning. Everywhere but at the… _thing_.

_Thing._

That thing in front of him. His hands trembled and his entire body shook when hearing a growl and, against his better judgement, he couldn't help but turn his attention to it. A sob escaped his lips as he looked up and instantly screamed in terror.

The form of a woman, ghostly white and with no legs, stared him down with her pitch black eyes. Her hair swayed to her side, as if by a breeze, as did her entire blood-covered form.

"_Why did you do this to me..?"_

Tears streamed down the man's face. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry…" his eyes snapped closed, too terrified to look at the thing anymore, "I always loved _you_! Please forgive me!"

She only growled, narrowing her eyes at him as she slowly approached him, floating across the small room as the man looked away and muttered quiet things to himself while his entire form trembled.

"Wow, you're an ugly one," a new voice pointed out, relaxed in contrast to the man that had been reduced to a muttering mess.

A hiss emitted from the ghostly white woman as she snapped her head to the side, glaring at the intruder. It was a teen with his hair a light shade of red due to the lights. His blue eyes were calm as he moved closer to her.

He reached a hand for his back where a backpack hung open with many scrolls sticking out. The woman hissed before shooting at the teen with no warning. A grin formed on his face as he pulled out a piece of paper with markings before putting it in front of him, as if to protect him from the woman.

Light filled the area as the woman got close to the paper, which shined brightly. The teen smirked as the markings peeled off the paper and floated towards the woman, growing in size and surrounding her.

"Bind!"

The marking spun around the woman before closing in to her and wrapping around her, making her yell out as she fell on the floor. She trashed against the hold, screaming out curses at the intruder. The markings wrapped tighter around her before beginning to glow along with her body.

Holding out his open hand, the teen hardened his eyes on the woman before closing his fist, "Kai!"

Light filled the area, making the teen shield his eyes as a gust of wind picked up on the small room, making him stagger backwards. Soon the wind died down along with the light, much to the relief of the teen. He uncovered his eyes and looked at where the woman had been, now nowhere to be seen, only leaving behind the paper he had used, now with half of it burned off.

A smile formed on his face as he nodded to himself before turning to his client, still cowering in a corner of the empty room.

"Hey, we're all done now," he called out in a bored tone.

This man had asked for their services since he was being haunted by the spirit of his dead wife. He had apparently cheated on her and when she found out, had stormed out of the house and gotten in a car accident. A tragic tale but it didn't have as much impact when he had seen it hundreds of times, his line of work made it that way.

"You don't have to be scared anymore, she's gone," he assured the cowering man. Sighing, he approached the man and held out a hand which the man took before getting up. "Anyway, I have to get going so pay up." He reached into his backpack and pulled out a small notebook, flipping through the pages before coming to a stop and showing it to the man, "See... Here's what you owe."

The man only whimpered, wondering just what the hell had happened.

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><p><strong>Naruto: The Sealer<strong>

**Caged Bird Part 1**

'_It's freaking hot.'_

It was the first thought that crossed the teen once he set foot outside the small apartment he had just bee in, having to help out the guy with the lingering spirit of his wife. Completely incredible and unbelievable to normal people but, then again, he wasn't you're average person. Not one bit.

He was a trained Sealer after all, though he was still only a beginner since his teacher refused to give him more dangerous assignments, but that didn't matter. Taking down spirits and... well he hadn't done much else yet but he was sure that he would in the future. His teacher/boss had said so himself even though he spent more time in questionable bars and trying to find good looking woman, but he was a teacher first... at least he thought so.

The teen, now leaving the apartment complex, continued to walk with his hands in his pockets. His blond hair, having seemed red on the small badly lit apartment, bounced with each step he took, as did the collar of his white unbuttoned dress shirt with an orange t-shirt underneath.

"I didn't even get time to get home after school finished..." he muttered to himself with a scowl. With his right hand already in his black pants' pocket, he pulled out the rolled up cash he had gotten from his latest job. "Let's see..." he counted the money and split it equally before putting both amounts in different pockets, as to not get confused later.

His boss/teacher had been good with giving him half the money for the jobs and, while not the usual part-time job, the pay was okay. Getting rid of 'bad luck' as his boss/teacher liked to call it, in order to avoid getting too much attention, _should _probably cost more but his boss/teacher was pretty lax with the prize.

But it wasn't like he only got money for his services. Along with the money, his teacher/boss would also train him free of charge. Hell, he even lived with the guy, his parents having died when he was young though he couldn't remember them. So, his teacher/boss/guardian more than paid for his services.

His training had started when he was really young, his teacher/boss/guardian saying that the earlier he started his training, the better. And, while he wasn't that good of a Sealer yet, he was still getting somewhere. A Sealer is a person who could handle most supernatural creatures that plagued humans and he, being only a beginner, was able to deal with average spirits without much trouble. But he still wished to face a stronger supernatural being. He liked being a Sealer but things were getting dull.

_'Oh well...' _he thought, _'Maybe I'll get him to train me when I get back.'_

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><p>The teen made it to his homeworkplace with a relieved smile, happy to finally being done with his day.

It was a two-story home with its walls being a cream color. On top of the wooden front door hung a sign reading, 'Corner Shop,' not the best name in his opinion since they received some weird customers due to the shady name. And, of course, the fact that the place wasn't even in the corner of the street, it was right in the middle! Just how the hell did teacher come up with the name?

Sighing to himself, he opened the door to the place, not surprised to see nobody there upon entering. A few chairs were lined up against the wall opposite to where a counter stood with a register on the corner. Behind it was a doorway, covered in a blue curtain which is where the teen went, brushing the thing aside as he moved deeper into the home.

He took off his shoes upon reaching the familiar wooden floor hallway. "I'm back," he called out as he took off his backpack and set it next to the shoes before walking into the hallway, making his way to where the living room was.

The living room was not small but not big either. It was a plain room with a TV in the corner, a small coffee table and a single long couch that stood before both. On the side was a sliding door that overlooked their garden which wasn't that big though it had a few plants and flowers.

"Why does he always do this?" The teen muttered to himself when he noticed the person laying on the couch.

A man with long white hair, wearing dark grey pants and a grey kimono shirt underneath a red coat. The man's eyes were closed but red markings that went down to his shin were still visible.

A snore emitted from the man's lips, making the teen sigh angrily.

"Wake up already!" He nudged the man with a tick mark on his head. "You're going to make the couch smell like old man!" The man stirred but didn't wake up, "Dammit! Wake up already!"

The teen continued to nudge the older man before his eyes finally opened slowly. Seeing this, the teen stopped and looked at his teacher/boss/guardian with a frown.

"Naruto…" the man grumbled as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "You're done with the job already?"

Naruto crossed his arms angrily, "Of course I'm done, it was way too easy. Can't you find me something else, Jiraiya-sensei?"

The man in questioned rubbed his beard, "Hmm?"

"I said, can't yo-"

"Oh, I heard you," Jiraiya spoke calmly. He took a moment of silence, watching as his student seemed more impatient with each passing second, "But…"

Naruto's right brow twitched as he fought the urge to yell at the man. He always did things like this, taking his time to answer a simple question. One time it had taken him an hour to get an answer since Jiraiya kept dancing around the question.

"Have you heard that it's going to rain in a few days?"

"Don't talk to me so casually out of nowhere!" Naruto exclaimed, finally having enough. He pointed an accusing finger at the man before continuing, "Stop dancing around the question by saying things you would expect of two old acquaintances that have nothing to talk about."

"You're right," he admitted as a smirk formed on his face, "But the rainy weather really puts me down. And, unlike the younger generation, I don't like to run around the rain for no reason."

Both his fists clenched as he stared down the talking man, "That has nothing to do with anything and you adding on to the weather thing doesn't change things, it's still just a useless conversation."

"No conversation is useless if the goal is getting information. Even when we're talking right now, you're learning something new. Like the incoming weather."

"Fine then," Naruto growled, "What if I already know the information you're giving me? That means that this conversation is of no use to me, right?"

Jiraiya raised a brown, "And where did you hear about the weather?"

"The newspaper!"

"Ah, so if the newspaper tells you of the weather then there's the possibility of it changing suddenly without the newspaper being able to tell you until the next day," he pointed out, "So this conversation is no more useless than reading the weather in the newspaper."

"Fine. Fine." Naruto groaned as he slapped a hand to his forehead, "Just answer my first question."

The man moved to a sitting position and crossed both arms, "I refuse."

"Why do you never let me take tougher cases?"

"You don't have the experience yet," Jiraiya responded, "Get that experience and then you can take the tougher cases."

Naruto grinned, "And where do I get that experience?"

"You have to encounter something stronger than the spirits you usually handle."

"But you don't let me take any tougher cases!"

Jiraiya shook his head. "Find one first. You don't have to defeat it, just encounter it," he explained, "These things can't be rushed so, when the time comes, I'll train you so that you can take other cases."

The teen sighed as he hung his head in defeat, "Okay then, I'll wait."

Jiraiya nodded before raising to his feet and walking into the hallway, leaving Naruto alone in the living room.

He sat himself on the couch, his nose scrunching up in distaste at the smell the old man had left behind. A scowl formed on his face as he thought about what Jiraiya had said, though knowing by now that he mostly lied when it came to these things. It made him wonder if Jiraiya really had other jobs pending.

Of all the time Naruto had lived in the place, he had never seen another Sealer, much less one close to Jiraiya. It was a bit odd since his teacher/boss/guardian liked to boast about being popular in his line of business.

'_Who cares?' _He shrugged before reaching for the remote on the coffee table and turning on the TV to distract himself.

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><p>The sun shone brightly on the streets, illuminating the many buildings of Konoha, Naruto's hometown. It was a pretty environment friendly place since it kept a lot of trees around town and hand't built too many tall buildings.<p>

On a street next to a river walked Naruto, dressed in his school clothes though now also wearing the black jacket that finished the uniform.

'_It's freaking hot again…' _he frowned deeply as he loosened up his tie and pulled out an envelope in order to fan himself.

Jiraiya had given him the envelope before leaving, saying that it was a new case which he needed to take care of. A man had requested their help since he had really bad luck. It didn't sound too dangerous but he guessed that there was something left out.

"If it isn't the young Naruto!"

Brow rising in confusion, Naruto raised his gaze to see a teen with black hair kept in a bowl cut, moving towards him with a smile.

"Hey Lee," he greeted without much enthusiasm.

The other teen didn't seem to notice and smiled wider. "I see I caught you going to school," he took in a deep breath and gave him a thumbs up, "Quite the good thing to do, being early to class I mean."

"Right…" Naruto responded lamely, wondering why Lee was talking to him.

Lee was known as a star athlete and was quite popular with the younger classes. His grades weren't too bad, at least he heard, but that didn't mean that he didn't try. Even announcing that he was going to be the top student one day, though it never happened. Instead, he turned his attention to the kendo club as well as the track team, excelling in both.

So it was a bit strange for Lee to be talking to him.

"I couldn't help but notice that you haven't been coming to school lately," Lee went on, now with a disapproving look on his face, "That is the behavior of a delinquent and I won't let a good friend turn to such a life."

He proceeded to punch a nearby wall, leaving a large dent. Naruto gulped, watching with wide eyes as Lee went on talking.

"As your friend, I'm going to make sure you go to school!"

"N-No problem," the blond responded while looking at the wall in pure fear. "I wasn't planning on going somewhere else and skipping school, even if I'm getting money out of it."

"Huh?"

Naruto smiled nervously, "Never mind that Lee, in fact let's have a contest right now."

"Contest?" Lee's eyes lit up at the word.

"Yeah," the blond declared as he pointed a finger at the road ahead, "Whoever makes it to school first will win this contest. You might be the star of the track team and an amazing athlete overall but don't count me out yet."

"Alright then, let's go!"

Lee shot off the ground, running through the streets in such a speed that he kicked up clouds of dust. Naruto watched him leave before pocketing the envelope and turning the next corner, the home of his client was there after all.

So, after having outwitted Lee who would undoubtedly be back later, Naruto began his trek through town once more. He planned on visiting his client and then go out to look for stronger supernatural beings later.

"Naruto!"

His eyes widened, recognizing the voice as that of the girl he had grown up with. The same girl that looked at him as a little brother and had got him to do the most ridiculous things when he was younger. Even now she liked to treat him like a little kid which made him fear for his dignity whenever she came close.

"H-Hey Tenten."

The girl, slightly taller than him and having her brown hair in a pair of buns, smiled at him. Her white shirt fluttered with the wind as she came to a stop in front of him, her black skirt swaying as she did so.

"Naruto-chan!"

Naruto watched as she leapt at him with both arms extended, and he quickly ducked under her incoming hug, taking a few steps back in order to put some distance between them and putting up a hand to stop her from getting any closer.

"Tenten, I'm older now and have gone through the awkward faces of puberty. Greeting me in such a Western way will only end up with people getting the wrong idea about us."

Tenten nodded, "You're right. I'm sorry about greeting you like that."

He looked at her in suspicion before shrugging, "Anyway, I'm on my way to the store. I need to buy something before going to school."

"Ah, I get it. Wanting to buy a sports drink and going to school looking like an interesting person…" she nodded with her eyes closed, "That would surely make you popular in school."

"Have I ever given you the impression that I care what people think?"

She shook her head, "Nope, you're not like that. In fact, you haven't even been to school much and people are starting to call you a delinquent. And is my Naruto-chan a delinquent?"

He rolled his eyes, crossing his arms and looking ahead, "Fine, I get it. I'll go to school more often."

Tenten grinned and waved him good-bye, "Fine then, I have to get going. Just don't be late today, okay?"

Naruto nodded absently and turned on his heels, instantly regretting it upon hearing the sound of rushing footsteps.

"Naruto-chan!"

Two arms wrapped around his torso as Tenten pulled him close and rubbed her head on the back of his while giggling. "You're still the same little boy I met that one day! Screw puberty, you're still so cute!"

"Wah!" He yelled out as Tenten turned him around and snuggled closer to him. His cheeks burned red as she kissed his forehead. "Get off already!" With a heated glare, he pulled away from Tenten, watching as she laughed before jogging away. She threw him a glance and gave him a small wave.

"Well then, see you later!"

With that she left, leaving an embarrassed Naruto behind, feeling as if he had just gotten molested.

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><p><strong>That's the end of the first chapter! I hope you guys liked it. <strong>

**Next chapter will introduce several new characters. I don't want to say names so you just have to wait and see. So, until then.**


	2. Caged Bird Part 2

_Cursed with bad luck. _

_An entirely new being appears. _

_Normal seals don't work…_

_Give them a good beating!_

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><p><strong>Naruto: The Sealer<strong>

**Caged Bird Part 2**

After having been molested, Naruto continued to walk through town though now less upbeat and feeling as if his dignity had taken yet another blow. It was always like that with Tenten but he, for some reason, was never ready for her attacks on him.

His shoulders slumped at the thought, knowing that it would be hard not to be caught off guard by Tenten next time since she knew him too well. A sigh emitted from his lips as he focused on his surroundings instead, noticing that he was now only a few houses away from where his client worked. He was a carpenter and, according to Jiraiya, was quite old. Now, not really knowing what his teacher/boss/guardian considered 'old,' since he was pretty old himself, he expected to meet with an ancient hermit that had mastered a peace of mind so... well, peaceful that it managed to keep him alive.

"Tazuna Shop..." He read the sign over the roof of the single story shop out loud, _'Not a good name but still not as bad as Corner Shop.'_

He pushed through the wooden door, hearing a chime upon entering the shop. The first thing he noticed was just how dark the place way, so dark in fact that Naruto had to squint his eyes just to see if there was anybody there.

"Close the door already, it's way too bright!"

"Oh," he let out as he stepped into the shop and closed the door behind him. Still not able to see much in the dark he decided to just find the information he was looking for from whoever was in the room, "Um, I'm looking for someone."

"Good for you."

Naruto's brow twitched at the sarcasm dripping from the person's words but didn't voice his annoyance, instead he squinted his eyes once more and was finally able to make out who he was talking to. A man sitting behind a counter with a water bottle in his right hand. Next he glanced at his surroundings, finding it to only have a few chairs here and there and a bulletin board filled with papers hanging on a wall.

"This is important," Naruto assured as he approached the man while reaching into his backpack to take out the small notebook from before. "Look here," he skimmed through a few pages before setting it before the man and pointing at a picture, "This is you, right?"

The man in question looked at the picture in shock. It was a picture of him. His grey spiky hair, his beard and even his glasses were in this picture. Just where had this kid gotten a hold of his picture?

"Who are you?" The man asked with a bit of hostility.

Noticing this, Naruto reached into one of the pockets on his pants and took out the envelope he had gotten from Jiraiya. "You sent for a Sealer," he began with a bit of puzzlement at the man's hostility, "You're Tazuna, right? The guy who hired us for the back luck problem."

"Oh that," he sighed in relief. If it was like that then it was okay, he had sent them a picture for reference after all. But still, looking at who they sent... "Are they saying my problem doesn't matter?"

"Eh?"

Tazuna crossed his arms, "I mean, sending a _kid _to help me out makes me feel somewhat pathetic. Almost like my problems don't really matter."

Ignoring the jab at his pride, Naruto took out a pen, "So, could you tell me what kind of bad luck you're been having?"

"Yeah," he answered, "They send kids to fix my problems."

_'Walked right into that one...'_

"And ugly ones at that," Tazuna continued.

"Listen here you son of a-"

_'Always be patient with your clients, remember that they'll be troubled when you meet them,' _Naruto calmed down after hearing Jiraiya's words within him. It reminded him of how he should be more serious when it came to these things and-

"You're a freaking midget on top of that."

"What'd you say!" Naruto yelled out in anger, having had enough of this man, "I admit that I'm not one of those super tall freaks that like to complain about being too tall , but I'm not short! I'm of normal height!"

Tazuna chuckled, "You really think that?"

"I _know _that. I looked it up!"

The man chuckled once more, "You looked it up? So that means that you're aware of how short you are since you had to make sure you were the right height just to feel better."

The pen in Naruto's right hand snapped in two as he let out a growl. "You called for help so... what happened?" He figured that changing the conversation would be for the best since this old man was starting to get to him."

"Fine I'll tell you," Tazuna smirked in mild amusement before his expression turned serious. He reached for a nearby white towel and put it around his neck before letting out a sigh, "Where should I begin..."

"Just tell me when the bad luck started," Naruto spoke up.

"It was a few days ago, back when I came back from visiting my old town. Anyway, when I got back here things started to get weird. I would fall from ladders on work, things would fall on me and, even once, I almost got hit by a car. So I'd say this all began about five days ago."

His expression turned grim as he continued to speak, "Things like that kept happening so I decided to check you guys out. I heard that you guys deal with bad luck so I thought I'd give it a try."

"Got it," Naruto nodded absently before taking off his backpack and setting it on the counter. "And what do you do for a living?" He asked as he began to look through the bag.

"I'm a carpenter and, I'm not the kind to brag, but I'm the best in the business."

The teen nodded once more before taking out a single tag with no markings. Almost immediately he slapped it to the man's forehead, making him yelp at the sudden movement.

"What are you-"

"Don't move," Naruto interrupted as he watched the paper on the man's forehead split in two before crumbling up and falling on the floor. His head tiled in confusion as he crouched near the pieces of papers just to make sure of what he had just seen, "What the hell..?"

Tazuna, having heard the last comment and seeing the serious look on Naruto's face, began to grow nervous, "I-Is it bad kid?"

"We're going to the nearby temple," he announced as he rose to his feet and gave the older man a stern look, "We have to hurry."

A look of fear struck Tazuna's face as he nodded at the teen before walking around the counter and taking out a set of keys before telling Naruto to exit the shop. He was next in leaving but not before locking up the shop. Once done, he gave a nod to the blond, letting him now that he was ready.

The two then began to walk with no words spoken between the two which only made Tazuna more nervous. He didn't understand what was going on and on top of that, the kid wasn't even talking. It made him wonder if his bad luck came from something dangerous.

"At first I thought that the bad luck came from someone cursing you," Naruto spoke suddenly, making Tazuna look at him nervously as the two continued to walk, "It was possible but I knew that the possibility wasn't all too great. Not many know how to place a curse after all."

"It wasn't until I used the tag that I found out that it was something else," he continued.

Tazuna looked at the teen nervously, "What is it?"

"A spirit."

Naruto frowned deeply as he continued to walk, now leading the older man through a more wooded area, on a dirt path off the street where Tazuna lived. It didn't take long until they made it to the staircase that would lead them to the temple.

"A kind of spirit that I've seen before," he went on, "This kind latches onto a person they've met before, usually because of unresolved conflicts. Since you went back to where you used to live then that meanst hat a spirit could have followed you here. If it did then it would explain your bad luck."

"I see..." Tazuna muttered with a bit of fear in his voice.

Now walking up the stairs to the temple, Tazuna found a bit of peace when watching his surroundings. The stairs went through the heavily wooded hill where the temple was which remained that way because of the town not wanting to disturb them.

"But don't worry," Naruto grinned. "I know how to lure these guys out and take care of them. If we do it right then the spirit should be gone in less than an hour."

"Really?"

The teen nodded, "Yeah, I've already told you that I've dealt with these guys before, remember?"

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><p>The temple was pretty ordinary. It had brown walls with red edges and many red pillars leading to it. Finally, surrounding the whole thing, was a small but lush forest. A pretty peaceful place that Naruto would visit on occasion but not now, he was in the middle of something after all.<p>

"What are we going to do here?" Tazuna asked the question that had been on his mind on the whole way to the temple. He had heard Naruto talk about what caused his bad luck but never said why they were going there.

Said teen took off his backpack before placing it on the ground, crouching before it and reaching inside. "This is a pretty good place to get rid of spirits and such," he explained before pulling out several tags, all with black markings. Making sure they were the right amount, he finally raised to his feet before nodding at the older man, "Follow me."

Tazuna did just that, figuring that the kid knew what he was doing since he appeared to be quite confident. He was led to a spot overlooking the temple's door, right between two pillars, before Naruto stopped walking and raised a hand to stop him from moving.

"Stay here and don't move."

With that said, Naruto proceeded to place the many tags around Tazuna, forming a large circle surrounding him. Once done, the teen moved to stand with his back to the temple but facing Tazuna. He then lowered to his knees, giving the older man a firm nod to show that he was about to begin.

His brows furrowed as his eyes snapped shut, clearly in concentration. Tazuna only watched in puzzlement as the teen raised his hands before forming many seals with them and holding them tightly against each other once done.

"Don't freak out..." Naruto muttered as his blue eyes shot open and he slammed both hands on the ground, "This is only the beginning."

Wind picked up as the tags around Tazuna shone a bright red as they peeled off the ground before ascending to the air. They began to move, circling around the man and picking up speed until only a red beam of light surrounded him.

Tazuna was terrified, never before seeing something like this and, before he knew it, smoke began to come off the ground. He let out a gasp as the smoke began to engulf him until he couldn't see his surroundings but, before he coudl scream out in fear, the red light surrounding him gave out and the smoke dispersed with a gust of wind.

"And that's that!" Naruto smiled once the wind died down. He fought the urge to laugh when seeing the expression of pure shock on Tazuna's face, which accompanied by this dishelmed clothes and glasses, was quite the funny sight.

"What the hell happened!" Tazuna exclaimed while glaring at the blond who only waved him off.

"Don't worry about it. The spirit should be gone now and with it the bad luck."

"Are you sure kid?"

"Of course," Naruto nodded before his eyes suddenly narrowed, his face snapping to the side as his expression grew grim.

Tazuna noticed this and looked around in fright, "W-What's going on kid?"

He didn't get an answer as smoke formed in the area once more though gathering in a single area. The smoke grew in size before their eyes, two large black eyes forming on it and glaring at them.

"What the hell is that thing?" Tazuna yelled out.

Naruto could only gape as the smoke continued to increase in size, "I... I don't know."

His heart beat loudly against his chest, a clear sign that he was getting nervous but he quickly pushed the feeling away. He was a Sealer so he couldn't be scared even though he had horribly misread what had been causing Tazuna's bad luck. Even now he had no idea what the thing was.

"Just get away from here!" He ordered the older man before making a dash for his backpack since that's where he kept his equipment. Before he could get close, a giant fist made of pure smoke struck him on the back, throwing him forward and making him land painfully against the ground.

"Dammit!" He cried out in pain before getting back on his feet and rushing towards his backpack.

Meanwhile Tazuna hid behind one of the pillars with his eyes closed in fear, keeping him from noticing the smoke getting closer to him.

_'That idiot!'_

Now having to protect Tazuna, Naruto quickly reached into his backpack and took out a pouch, strapping it around his waist before charging in at the creature without a second to spar. He reached into the pouch as he ran and took out a few kunai, given to him by Jiraiya, with seals attached to the handles.

"Take this!" He yelled as he flung three of the projectiles at the creature, making contact with it in a flash of blue. The creature was knocked backwards, giving Naruto the change to rush to Tazuna's side.

He pulled him away from the pillar and pushed him towards the temple, "Go hide, I'll take care of this thing."

Tazuna nodded rapidly and ran away from the area, leaving Naruto alone with the creature. The teen pulled out a few blue orbs from the pouch, holding them between his fingers as he watched the creature set its large hollow eyes on him.

It let out a growl as it formed an arm and shot it at him. Not one to be struck by the same thing twice, Naruto rushed forward, spinning to his left to dodge the incoming fist without losing speed. One closer to the creature, he flung the blue orbs at the ground before it, creating a large blue cloud of smoke that merged with it.

The creature howled in obvious pain while Naruto, not missing the opportunity, took out a set of seals before tossing them in front of him and quickly putting his hands in a hand seal. The seals floated in front of Naruto, glowing a bright blue as black markings emerged from them.

"Got you," he smirked as the markings shot at the creature, wrapping around it as Naruto concentrated on the task. The creature trashed against the hold as it began to glow brightly along with the markings.

Naruto released the hand seal and held out a hand before closing it, "Kai!"

The result was instant. Light shone brightly in the area as winds picked up, kicking up dust and shielding the place from view. Naruto covered his eyes, gritting his teeth as he snuck glances at the area in front of him, just to make sure the thing was gone.

Much to his fortune, the gust died down soon to reveal that the creature was in fact gone. He smiled in relief as he fell into a sitting position, chuckling lightly at what had just happened. His first non-normal spirit had been taken down. He still had no idea what the thing had been but at least he could now get further into his training with Jiraiya.

"I-Is the thing gone?"

Naruto turned to his side to see Tazuna looking at him while hidden behind the temple's walls. "Yeah," he chuckled with a roll of his eyes, "You should have seen how you ran away. Seriously, you should had been more brave and gave me a line about not leaving because you want the new generation to look up to you."

"Huh?" Tazuna let out as his eyes narrowed, "I saw how terrified you looked when the thing showed up. I'm surprised you didn't shit your pants."

"O-Of course I didn't!" He yelled back before stretching his right hand at him, "You still have to pay up old man!"

The man sighed as he reached into one of his pockets, "Fine kid, you deserve it for taking care of that thing but remember to treasure this."

He handed the money to the teen, who looked at him in confusion, "Are you saying I should treasure money?"

"No," Tazuna responded as he turned his back on the blond and began to walk away, "I rarely pay for things I don't really need to so be grateful that I paid for this." With that the man left the area, disappearing as he descended the stairs.

Naruto let out a sigh of relief once the man was gone. He pocketed the money before getting up and dusting his pants that had apparently attracted all the dust from the sealing.

'_Dammit, I'm going to have to go wash them aga-'_

"You're a sealer too."

His eyes widened as he turned on his heels to see an unknown girl. Her jade eyes looked into his while her pink hair swayed with the wind. She wore a red kimono shirt along with a pink skirt that reached just a bit before her knees.

Naruto was a very observant person which is why, while seeming perverted to others, he noticed that the wind picked up her skirt slightly to reveal black biker shorts though it wasn't like he wanted to look there in the first place. A moment passed until he noticed the black gloves she had on her hands, but more importantly, the white markings on them.

"You are too."

She smiled in amusement before turning her back on him. No more words were spoken as smoke gathered in front of her, much to Naruto's shock, and took the shape of the creature from before.

"These guys can't be taken care of with a few seals," she explained as she quickly took off her shirt, making Naruto yelp and look away. "Much less beginner seals."

He frowned at that, turning back to the girl to see that she wore a black t-shirt underneath the one she had taken off.

The creature formed two arms as it set its eyes on the girl but she didn't move or show a shred of fear.

"You have to give these guys…"

The creature swung at her with both arms but, in a show of pure agility, she jumped over one arm before rolling under the next incoming one, leaving her with a clear run at the creature. She charged in before leaping towards it with her right arm held back.

"A good beating!"

Her fist came down on the creature, impacting against it with a bright blue flash. The creature was knocked away, almost instantly glowing a blue color before shattering into millions of tiny pieces.

Naruto could only watch in amazement as the girl took a few steps forwards before picking something off the ground. She then turned to him and tossed him the object she had gotten, which he caught instinctively and found to be a necklace with a plain silver medallion.

"A gift for you."

He heard her explain while he looked at the necklace in wonder, "What am I supposed to do with this?"

"I'm Sakura," she introduced as she walked towards the steps but not before giving him one last look, " Ask whoever your teacher is about the necklace. You'll find out what it is then."

After that she moved down the stairs, leaving Naruto alone with a single thought in mind.

'_Who is she?'_

* * *

><p><strong>That ends this chapter. I might have gone overboard when I said 'several' characters would be introduced but don't worry I'll introduce them on the next one, besides, you got to meet Sakura who is pretty badass. Can't complain, right?<strong>

**So I'll see you guys next chapter. **


	3. Caged Bird Part 3

_Something is wrong with the spirit. _

_The necklace is not a necklace…_

… _It's best to settle things with fists. _

_Troublesome…_

* * *

><p><strong>Naruto: The Sealer<strong>

**Caged Bird Part 3**

_Enenra._

A supernatural being made up entirely of smoke which allows it to take on many different forms. They are peaceful, avoiding human contact and do not seek conflict. There had never been a case in which an Enenra attacked a human or possessed anyone.

At least, until recently.

"Are you sure it was what I described?"

"Of course it was," Naruto responded with a hint of annoyance in his voice. "I already told you for the hundredth time."

Jiraiya rubbed his chin in thought, not getting what was going on. "It couldn't be..." he muttered to himself stubbornly. Enenra did NOT attack humans, everyone knew that. Having something like that change so suddenly was, not only against everything he learned, but outright impossible.

The only explanation he could come up with is that Naruto was wrong about what kind of supernatural being it had been. There were many wind spirits around anyway and, even though they didn't attack much either, they could still be persuaded to unlike an Enenra.

Yes, that was more reasonable. Naruto was nervous during the attack and didn't get to look at the creature properly. But still, it looked like he would need to pay more attention to what was going on around town just in case something odd happened.

"Well, that's that then," Jiraiya clasped both hands together as he looked over his shop with a scowl on his face. It looked like the place wouldn't suffice for what he had planned. He didn't like closing his shop when it was dark out since it was the time in which his customers arrived, but it seemed he had no choice. He had promised the kid after all.

"Alright Naruto, get your things. We're going out to train for a bit."

"Really?" Naruto beamed, receiving a nod from his master. "Good. Then I'll be right back."

The teen disappeared into once of the rooms before emerging seconds later with his backpack on hand. "I'm ready," he slung the bag over his right shoulder and secured it to his back.

Jiraiya sighed, _'I thought he would take longer than that. Oh well, I could always write later…'_

The older man said nothing as he rose from the cushion in which he sat and dusted his pants. "Let's go then kid."

With that the two left the shop, making sure to lock it first, and made their way through the dark street they were most familiar with. It was a comfortable night, a few people strolled about as a cool breeze washed over the place which made Naruto scowl slightly. It was a bit colder than he thought, not too cold but enough to make him wish he had taken a sweater.

It wasn't long until the two entered a nearby alley. There was nothing odd about it. It had bags of trash on the ground, graffiti on its red brick walls; a normal alley in every sense of the word. Jiraiya entered fist, followed by Naruto who looked over his shoulder just to make sure nobody watched them.

"There's nobody here at this time, Naruto. Let's go," Jiraiya spoke in half-amusement. Naruto glared at his master, feeling a bit stupid before moving closer to him, watching as he placed a hand on the red brick wall between the two buildings.

"Open."

The wall erupted in a cloud of smoke, which cleared quickly to reveal a dark passageway. Jiraiya entered without hesitation with Naruto following after him, seeming a bit agitated about the place.

"We've been here before already, can't you get used to it?"

"Of course not! Look at this place," Naruto complained while looking around the dark place, trying to see anything from the bit of light coming from the alley which was blocked almost immediately after he spoke. "Dammit, why can't you put lighting here? It can't be that expensive can it?"

Jiraiya sighed as he walked through the darkness without problem. Naruto trailed behind and clutched the back of his coat as not to get lost. "I'm not an electrician so I'll have to hire someone to do it for me. Can't have that when this place is supposed to be secret, right?"

"That's a complete lie," Naruto retorted, having a really clear memory of Jiraiya fixing the lighting of one of the rooms back at the shop. "You're probably one of those overdramatic people that pull things like this just to make it more cool-looking!"

"I don't need to pull anything to make this place cool."

"Of course you don't. That's why you don't add any light to it, right?"

Jiraiya chuckled, making Naruto growl in response.

"Tell me about that girl again."

Naruto squinted his eyes in confusion, "Why?"

Jiraiya let out an exasperated sigh, "Just tell me. I don't need a reason, I'm your guardian and master."

"She didn't say much," the teen responded a bit angrily. "I didn't even notice her tailing us. She just came out of nowhere and took that thing out using some gloves with seal markings. That's how I knew she was a Sealer too."

"Is that so?" Jiraiya grinned as he extended his right arm forward, coming in contact with something firm before pushing against it.

A rumble echoed through the dark passageway as light began to escape through a crack before the two. The crack grew taller, adding more light into the darkness, until it shot upwards, revealing a doorway leading to a large room with wooden floors and light grey walls.

"We're here," the older man smiled.

"Dammit! Why didn't you tell me you were about to open it?" Naruto yelled out as he furiously rubbed his stinging eyes.

"Because it's funny."

The teen grumbled something as he slowly opened his eyes, wincing as the light filled his vision until he finally grew used to it. By then Jiraiya had already entered the large room and stood in the middle. Naruto entered the room as well and could hear the passageway closing as he stepped forward.

Despite his initial annoyance, Naruto was quite curious as to why Jiraiya was training him so late at night. He never did things like that. Their training sessions would usually take place early in the day while they rested at night. So why change that?

"Alright then," Jiraiya went on as he bent his knees slightly and got into a ready stance with a smirk. "This is a brand new exercise. I hit and you dodge. That's all."

"W-What?" Naruto yelped as his master ran at him while holding an odd stance in place, one he had never seen before. He barely had time to react as his master threw a jab but, managing to compose himself, he leaned to his right to dodge the blow but almost cursed when seeing the open-palm strike moving towards his chest.

"Gah!" He yelled out as a bit of blood shot out of his mouth. Jiraiya, seeing his opportunity, followed his attack with a hard kick to the boy's left ribcage, making him yell out with a curse before being thrown aside like a rag doll.

Jiraiya watched as his student crash against the wall, bouncing off of it and hitting the floor with a grunt. "Come on Naruto, get your head out of your ass," he scolded with a disapproving frown. "This training will be a lot tougher since what you got from the spirit you fought is a whole new thing for you. I'll need you strong and ready for it."

"I… I never complained… did I?" Naruto managed as he struggled to his feet, staggering backwards as he set his blue eyes on the older man. He smirked as he wiped away the blood gathered on the corner of his mouth. "This is nothing," he bent his knees as he got into his usual fighting stance, "Let's go."

"That's what I want to hear," Jiraiya grinned as he rushed in at his student once more.

This was a more serious Jiraiya, someone Naruto was not used to. Someone with years of experience under his belt. Someone that knew exactly what he was doing. Someone who knew everything about him. Someone he could do nothing against.

Naruto frowned deeply as Jiraiya got closer to him, raising his right fist to strike. The teen easily knocked the first punch aside, keeping a careful eye on the other fist as it immediately shot towards him. This time prepared, he raised his right knee to block the blow, buckling under the power behind the strike before planting both feet on the ground and retaliating with a hard punch aimed at the older man's face.

A smirk formed on Jiraiya's face as he leaned his head to the side, dodging the punch only by centimeters, before flicking his head at his student. Confusion could be seen on Naruto's face as Jiraiya's long hair wrapped around his arm and pulled it to the side as if on command. With the new opening, he landed a hard punch to the boy's right shoulder, making him cry out and lower his guard, a grave mistake. Jiraiya, seeing as Naruto's guard was gone, delivered another blow to his chest.

Pain filled Naruto's body as his eyes dilated at the amount of pain before being pushed away and crashing against a wall, letting out a cry as his back met the hard concrete. He fell on the ground with a thud, not managing to use his hands to soften the landing.

"Dammit…" he growled through gritted teeth before letting out a series of coughs accompanied by bits of blood that stained the ground beneath him. "W-Why is he being so hard on me?" He wheezed for air as he used his elbows to support himself up and raised his gaze to the older man.

"You better get up Naruto," Jiraiya spoke up as he began to walk closer to the teen, "Unless you want more."

'_Dammit. Dammit. Dammit. Dammit.' _

Naruto struggled to get up, first getting up to his knees then pushing off the ground and finally managing a standing position, though very shaky. His legs refused to stop trembling and Jiraiya was getting closer. Things did not look good.

'_I… I won't quit!'_

Light shone from the necklace hanging from Naruto's neck. He let out a gasp as it floated in front of him while shining brightly.

"W-What is this?" He reached for it, grasping it with his right hand before it exploded into bits of light that gathered around his hand. "What the!" The bits of light took shape, extending a few feet until finally dulling down to reveal a katana with a silver blade.

It had a simple blue and silver handle with markings engraved into it. Naruto grasped the handle tightly before the whole katana shone brightly once again and disappeared in a ray of light, leaving nothing on his hand.

"Huh?" He looked down to his chest to see the necklace back in place though this time the medallion had a large mark on its center.

"You did it." Jiraiya praised his student as he walked towards him, keeping a grin in place when noticing the look of confusion on the teen's face, "That's what I was training you for. I wanted the necklace to take form."

Naruto continued to show confusion, not understanding what Jiraiya was saying. "What does that even mean?"

"Stronger spirits leave stuff like this behind," he explained, motioning at the necklace that hung from the boy's neck, "These kinds of artifacts carry all sorts of powers depending on the supernatural being. That katana you got, there's a lot more to it than it just being a blade. It's up to an expert to find these things out."

"Do you know about this stuff?"

Jiraiya shook his head. "While I'm a bit flattered that you see me as an 'expert,' I only know the essentials of artifacts. If you want someone to teach you how to keep the katana in place and show you its hidden abilities, then you have to see an expert. And, luckily, I know just the guy."

"Really?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"Yup, but it'll have to wait until morning," Jiraiya informed as he walked over to his student and ruffled his hair, much to his annoyance, "Now come on, let's take a look at those wounds."

Naruto glared at his master, "You didn't have to be so tough on me. I'm still learning you bastar - Ack!"

Jiraiya shook his head disapprovingly as his student nursed the back of his head, "I told you not to talk to me like that. I'm your elder you ungrateful brat."

"You didn't have to hit me," Naruto complained with a glare.

"Let's just go," the older man responded as he pulled the teen out of the room, once again entering the dark passageway.

* * *

><p>"Freaking old man…" Naruto complained as he used the back of his hand to wipe his sweaty forehead. "Why does he force me to walk everywhere?" He looked up at the blue sky, using a hand to shield his eyes from the sun. It was still early but he wasn't anywhere close yet.<p>

The Akimichi.

A clan that lived on the better part of town and was known for its friendly clan members, unlike the others which were known to think little of anyone outside their clan. This particular clan specialized in the selling of food and had several high price restaurants around town.

He wiped his sweaty forehead once more. It was almost summer and the streets were already empty due to the heat, well that and the fact that most teens were probably in school. He felt a bit guilty about not going but he already knew what he was going to be doing after school ended and Jiraiya was the only one that could teach it to him. So he didn't really have to go to school.

"If it isn't the 'dead last.'"

Naruto frowned, not needing to turn around to know who the owner of the voice was.

"What do you want Kiba?" He looked to his side to see a teen wearing a leather jacket and jeans. The teen known as Kiba was leaning against a fence with his arms crossed. The tips of his brown spiky hair fluttered with the breeze as he pushed off the wall and approached the blond.

"I was just curious about how the person with the worst grades in school history got the title. I mean, it's probably harder than it looks, right?"

"You know you're only above me by a few points right?"

Kiba scoffed, ignoring Naruto's last comment. "Looks like you're skipping school again… You know, people are starting to call you a delinquent that likes to get on weird situations with other guys."

"That doesn't even make sense!"

"I just wanted to see if the rumors were true," Kiba went on, ignoring the blond once more.

"Oh? I didn't know you saw me that way? Were you hoping that maybe I would try anything funny with you?"

"Shut up!" Kiba exclaimed in anger, "Just remember that when you come back to school there'll be a few people that want to kick your ass."

Naruto frowned, already knowing Kiba did something.

"It might have something to do with a little rumor that I started but who knows?" He let out a chuckle as he moved past the blond, "But it might as well be a good excuse for you not to go to school, right?"

"Freaking idiot…" the blond frowned as he watched the other teen walk away. "What kind of person makes fun of someone for not going to school anyway?"

He shook his head and continued his walk. Jiraiya had told him that the Akimichi didn't like working late so he would have to move faster if he wanted his necklace to be looked at.

* * *

><p>"It's freaking hot…"<p>

Naruto sat on the side of a river while pulling on the collar of the orange shirt he liked to wear under his school uniform, which he wore just in case he ever needed to go.

"And loud."

Hearing the voice, Naruto looked around in bewilderment. He hadn't noticed anybody following him and hadn't seen anyone near the river when he got there. Just what kind of stealthy specialist had sneaked under his gaze?"

"Troublesome."

"Oh, it's you," he let out with a chuckle, now finding the voice coming from a nearby tree. A teen wearing a school uniform lay on one of the branches with his eyes closed.

Naruto approached the tree and looked up at the teen, grinning as he did so, "What are you doing here Shikamaru?"

"…"

He rolled his eyes at the lack of response before putting both hands around his mouth, "Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Tell me!"

"Fine!" Shikamaru groaned after having enough of the annoying blond. He turned his face towards Naruto but didn't move his body, he was far too comfortable to do so. "I didn't feel like going to school so I just came here."

"School started like two hours ago, have you been here this whole time?"

Shikamaru sighed contently, "Yep. Going to school is a real bother so I've been resting here."

"Why do you keep on talking like a middle-aged man too tired from work?"

"…"

Knowing that he wouldn't get into any kind of debate with Shikamaru, Naruto sat himself against the tree and crossed his arms. "I'm going to the Akimichi's…" he trailed off while throwing a glance at the other teen who rose a brow at the information. "It's a good thing I ran into you. I don't want to spend the whole day walking around like an idiot and since you go there all the time, do you know of any shortcuts I can take?"

Shikamaru reached into his pants pockets and took out a rolled up piece of paper before tossing it to Naruto who caught it easily. "That's a map I made since remembering the way there is freaking hard."

"Thanks," the other teen smiled as he rose from the ground and gathered his things. He would have stayed to talk with Shikamaru but he was already asleep again. Sometimes he was jealous of how easily he could do that but dismissed the thought as he walked to the nearby street and resumed his long walk.

As he walked, he looked over the piece of paper which he now found was a map of the town. It was a bit over the top but he shrugged, figuring that Shikamaru would have gone through the trouble of marking the exact way to the Akimichi's...

"Dammit! I should've known!"

The map wasn't finished. It led to a street then got cut off until another street. Just how the hell was he supposed to read such a map?

"Worthless," he muttered as he crumbled up the paper into a ball and tossed it aside. "Now what am I going to do…" he whined while running both hands through his hair.

"You look like you're annoyed," a voice spoke from behind him.

His mouth formed into a scowl, recognizing the voice. "Yeah I am, but I guess you already know why Sealer-san." Before he could turn around, he received a chop to his head, making him yelp in pain and turn around angrily, "What'd you do that for?"

"It's Sakura, not 'Sealer-san,'" she answered with a frown. Naruto said nothing, instead he looked at her blankly, making her frown deepen. Her hand raised once more, making the blond flail his hands in front of him with a look of panic on his face.

"I get it, I get it. I'll call you Sakura."

She nodded and grabbed the medallion that hung from his neck in order to see it properly, "Looks like you got this thing to work."

"I'm on my way to have it checked," he explained.

"You're going to the Akimichi's, right?" Sakura asked, receiving a nod. She smiled and placed her hands on her hips, looking a bit smug, "Lucky for you I know the way there. I'll take you since I want to see what that medallion really does and you have no idea where you're going."

Naruto looked at her suspiciously but agreed nonetheless. He figured that she was a fellow Sealer and that she didn't look like a bad person, at least that's what he told himself.

She lead him to an alleyway between two old buildings. At this point Naruto felt something was off but followed, it wasn't like she was going to kill him in the dark and drag his body away for some kind of ritual.

"Come on," she instructed and walked into the alley.

A bit hesitant, Naruto entered the alley as well. He looked around with a careful eye until noticing that Sakura was walking faster.

"Hey wait up," he called out as he quickened his pace.

The two walked swiftly through the alleyways and Naruto was beginning to feel as if they were lost even though Sakura seemed confident in where she was going. She suddenly turned a corner, making Naruto's pace increase to a light jog and, as he turned the corner, he was tackled against a wall with both hands immediately tied behind his back.

"You have to come with me," Sakura muttered to his ear.

"Of course," Naruto growled bitterly.


	4. Caged Bird Part 4

_Trapped._

_Did she know him?_

…_.'s haunted face still in my mind._

"_Let's go, Naruto."_

* * *

><p><strong>Naruto: The Sealer<strong>

**Caged Bird Part 4**

'Slug Princess.'

A title fitting for a person with decades of experience. Only by the name one could come to the conclusion that this person had a disturbing appearance, like that of an old man with several hundred pounds under his rather long belt even though the title clearly stated that it was a woman.

Naruto had heard from his teacher/mentor/guardian, Jiraiya. He had heard of the famous yet secret 'Slug Princess.' The person that was described with long and difficult words, most showing admiration while the others showed bitterness.

He figured that he would never meet this woman.

"I am the Slug Princess, Tsunade."

He figured that he had been wrong.

In front of him stood a woman unlike any he had seen. She spoke in a firm and commanding tone that didn't go with her appearance; that of a blond woman at her early thirties with a tremendous set of… eyes that glared into his own.

This was unexpected. The 'Slug Princess' had to be someone repulsive that was hard to look at, not this. She couldn't be the person Jiraiya talked about with such familiarity.

"Why aren't you talking?" She asked, a little irked.

"There's no way that the 'Slug Princess' is this cute!"

"What?"

"Nothing." Naruto responded firmly.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes on the boy before clearing her throat, "Well, your appearance is not very impressive."

"Why do I get the feeling you're looking at me the same way one would a car they were going to buy?"

She didn't pay attention to his remark and continued to study him with a careful eye before suddenly raising from where she stood, a cushioned chair behind a brown desk. The small room's bad lighting seemed to amplify her glaring eyes, making Naruto tear his eyes away from her and focus on the room's walls, noticing that paint was peeling off on certain parts.

"Fine you'll do."

The intimidating woman sat back on her seat and reached for something behind the desk. "Here's what you'll do," she took out an envelope and flicked it towards him. His hands were still tied so Sakura, who remained quiet all this time, took it before it fell.

"Take that to your master… Jiraiya."

Naruto's eyes widened in shock as he pulled against the ropes bounding his hands together and stomped his foot down angrily. "How do you know about him?"

Tsunade leaned back on her chair, making her green cloak spread a little around the chest area and, besides the situation, Naruto found his eyes trying to sneak a peek. "It's written all over you," she spoke up, breaking him out of his trance. Her eyes narrowed on the teen, "The way you walk. The way you talk. The way you fight. It has 'Jiraiya' written all over it."

Her eyes glared as she brought a hand down on the desk, destroying it into millions of tiny pieces, "So stop wasting my time and do as your told!"

"I-will-do-what-you-ask," Naruto let out robotically, far too petrified to talk normally.

"Good," she smirked and nodded at Sakura, who let his arms free and handed him the envelope. "You can go do whatever you were doing," she went on, "You can just give that to him when you're free."

He didn't need to be told twice and bolted out of the weird place, finding himself in the alleys once again and instantly felt lost.

'_Shit, I didn't pay attention to where I was going!' _His two hands went to his head as he fell to his knees, feeling a lot dumber than he thought he was.

"I'll keep my word and take you to the Akimichi's."

Blue eyes hardened as Naruto turned to glare at Sakura. "I don't need your help Sakura-sama," he let out bitterly as he got back on his feet and stomped away from her.

"Other way," Sakura called out amusedly. The blond frowned and turned the other direction, glaring at Sakura once more as he passed by her.

* * *

><p>"Right."<p>

"Left."

"Right."

"Straight."

"You idiot! Turn right!"

Naruto was on the verge of a major breakdown. After having passed by Sakura, she decided to follow him and throw directions while she was at it; all of this with a smirk on her face, as if enjoying his internal suffering.

Masochist?

Yes, he decided, it was a word that described this girl quite well.

But that didn't matter at the moment. His patience was running thin and the last comment did it for him.

"Why are you following me!"

Her smirk widened. "I have to follow to make sure that you don't read the letter."

Letter?

His eyes wandered to his right hand where he still held the envelope. A look of curiosity crossed his face as he pulled part of the envelope apart before stopping all together and yelling out in pain as a punch landed on his gut.

"My, my. I told you not to do that and you went ahead and did it anyway. To me, that's called being stupid."

Naruto clutched his stomach with one hand while glaring daggers at the evil mind that was Sakura. "What kind of person wouldn't peek after being warned? You set all this up just to hit me!"

"You think of me too highly, Uzumaki-kun," Sakura feigned an innocent look as she spoke, ignoring the look of shock on Naruto's face. "I'm not the kind to set things up. I don't have that kind of cleverness. If I felt like hitting you then I would do it, you have that kind of 'punch me' vibe anyway."

"Now you sound like a bully!" He exclaimed angrily before pointing an accusing finger at her, "And don't try to get my mind off of it! How do you know my last name?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Uzumaki Naruto."

He took a step back as shock showed on his face before composing himself and staring angrily at the girl, "How do you know my full name? I didn't give it to you!"

Sakura continued to smirk before shrugging. "I might tell you someday but now… I don't think you can handle the information," she placed a hand on her chest with a pained look on her face, "I'm only doing this to protect you."

"I don't know of anyone that would buy that! Quit it with this useless conversation."

"No conversation is useless if the goal is getting information. Even when we're talking right now, you're learning something new."

Naruto could almost picture his teacher laughing at this random development, "I've had this conversation before so let's get back to what I wanted to know."

"Oh right," Sakura nodded, "We were talking about the weather, right? Did you know it's going to rain in a few days?"

'_This is the same exact conversation!' _His shoulders slumped in defeat as he let out a breath, wondering if he would make it through the day like this. How Sakura knew his name still worried him and he knew that he couldn't let this go. Even if she continued to dance around the question.

"So, Tsuntsun-san…" Naruto began but stopped the moment Sakura glared at him angrily, making him chuckle nervously and clear his throat, "I mean, Sa-ku-ra-chan, how are-"

He was cut off mid-sentence as a fist connected with the top of his head, making him yell out in pain and hold his head.

"Don't say my name in such a weird way," she scolded.

"G-got it," he muttered as he stood upright and let out a sigh, "Then, Sakura. How did you know my name?"

She said nothing, instead focused on the path ahead. They were still on the alleys but he could hear cars clearly now. He didn't know how far they had gotten but, looking at the back of Sakura's head, he guessed that she knew where they were going.

"Master Tsunade told me to look for you," she responded after a moment of silence. Naruto scowled, feeling confused as to why the Slug Princess knew about him. "She didn't tell me how she found out. She just gave me your name and told me what to do."

That was really odd to him. Why would a person like that be interested in him? He almost laughed at the thought, of course he wasn't the one of interest, it had to be Jiraiya. They had probably seen him walk out of the shop and decided to follow him in order to get access to the old pervert.

He nodded to himself, pleased with his amazing deduction skills.

"Master Tsunade talked with your master the other day…"

Shot down immediately!

"That's why I'm not sure of what's in that envelope," she continued to speak, though with a bit of wonder on her voice, "I saw her writing so it might be a letter but, who knows?"

"It could be a seal," Naruto pointed out, receiving a nod from the girl.

"That's what I thought too but, why go through all this trouble?"

"Hmm?"

"I mean, don't get me wrong, but you're way too weak to be trusted." He winced at that, trying his best to ignore the smirk on Sakura's face, "So why have _you _take the envelope? Master could have just taken it herself."

As much as he hated to admit that his brain thought it, he wondered, only for a second mind you, if the Slug Princess was like a real slug and walked at a really slow rate.

"But then again…" she trailed off, "If it was serious then they would have told you to go deliver it immediately."

The two grew silent as Sakura led the way through the alleys. The whole letter thing was weird but both Sealers settled for their own conclusions. Sakura's being a reasonable, 'her teacher had her secrets,' while Naruto grudgingly thought that the two older Sealers were just too lazy to send each other messages.

"Through here," Sakura suddenly spoke, making the teen following after her look up as the two turned a narrow corner and made it to the streets.

Naruto gaped, eyes wide in shock as he looked around. They had to be at the other side of town! It wouldn't take more than a few minutes to get to where the Akimichi clan lived.

"How did you know where you were going?" Naruto voiced his question in wonder.

Sakura smirked and walked ahead of him. "It's easy if you've used them enough," she explained. "But, knowing you for a few hours, I can tell that if would take you years to have a basic concept of them."

'_Why does this girl like to assault me?'_

Before he could retort, a person walking on the other side of the street caught his attention. His long black hair, pale skin, lavender eyes, and fine clothing identified him quite well. He was a Hyuuga.

Hyuuga, one of the wealthiest clans in town which made most of them conceited jerks. They had pull almost everywhere and, probably, had a few Sealers themselves. Jiraiya had told him countless times to get away if one of them caught on to him being a Sealer, which made him think that they had something to do with the profession.

But, despite what Jiraiya had said, this Hyuuga didn't so much as glance at him. In fact, he wasn't looking at anything. His eyes were clouded and it was as if he was just moving forward, not walking, but simply moving for no reason at all.

"I'm getting a weird vibe from that guy."

He nodded at Sakura's comment, finding himself feeling the same.

"Anyway, let's get going. I don't want it to get dark on our way back, those alleys are actually confusing then."

"Let's go then," he answered, watching as the Hyuuga continued to move. With a frown, he turned and followed after Sakura.

* * *

><p>The two made it to the Akimichi's before long. There they met a heavy set man with a friendly smile who, after hearing about the necklace, took it and kicked them out of his workplace, telling them to come back in about an hour. Naruto, having thought he had been robbed tried to go back in the one-story building, but was held back by Sakura.<p>

"They like to work alone."

She had explained with a warning tone. One that told him to shut up or take another of her monstrous punches.

So, with nothing to do, the two decided to look around the place. The Akimichi's lived in simple yet bigger than average homes, all in one large area near the top of a tall hill. It was there that the couple of Sealers decided to go, finding a park near the top of the cliff and taking a sit on a bench with an amazing view of town.

It was peaceful and calm which, of course, meant that Naruto was bored. He occasionally shifted uncomfortably on his seat and would glance over his shoulder to see if there was anything interesting going on.

Nothing at all.

The teen fought the urge to groan while, an annoyed Sakura, contemplated on telling him to be quiet. She enjoyed the moments of peace her life brought. There was nothing more relaxing than sitting on a bench, being hit by a cool breeze, and watching an amazing view. But all of this was being ruined by the guy sitting next to her, same guy that didn't appear to stop fidgeting every ten seconds.

"Hey Sakura…"

She hummed in response, giving him an annoyed look.

"How long does this usually take?" Naruto asked while slumping against the bench, "This is boring."

"He already told us how long it's going to take. What? Were you expecting him to be wrong or something?" Sakura gave him a glance before rolling her eyes, "You must be quite the fool to doubt a specialist."

The blond growled at the response, already feeling provoked by this girl that liked to piss him off. "I was just making conversation, stupid," he talked back as he pointed an accusing finger, "Besides why did you sound so disappointed when you called me a fool? We haven't known each other long enough to have such strong impressions of the other?"

"What if I told you that we've met in a previous life?"

'_Scary!'_

Sakura smirked at the look of fear that struck the blond's face. "Yeah, if I remember correctly I was a strong independent woman that worked to protect others…" her eyes narrowed in thought, as if trying to remember something, "Oh yeah, I remember meeting you there."

"Don't make things up as you go!" Naruto scolded, feeling a bit peeved, "But still, tell me what I was."

"A sick dog."

'_Harsh!'_

Sakura nodded to herself, "You were dirty, sick and old. The right thing was to help you out so, me being a nice person, I took you out of your misery and tossed your body in a lake."

"What the hell kind of half-assed story is that?"

Naruto calmed himself down. Next to him, Sakura looked at him out of the corner of her eye, her expression one of amusement.

"Then tell me about the Enenra you took out the other day."

She looked at him, a bit surprised at the question, before grinning slightly and giving him a shrug, "There's nothing to say, it was just a random spirit."

"There was nothing random about it. Enenra don't attack people, didn't you find it weird that this one did?"

Her gaze turned back to the town. "Of course I did," she responded after a moment of silence, "But there's nothing to do about it. I could sit here and think about it but it won't do any good. I'd rather leave this thing to Master Tsunade."

"That's good I guess…" he muttered in response.

Things grew quiet again but, before either could strike up conversation again, they heard the sound of footsteps coming from behind them. Both glanced over their shoulders to see a teen approaching them.

He had brown spiky hair that reached a little past his shoulders, he was mostly dressed in red and, the most noticeable thing about him, was his heavy build that didn't appear to be all fat. This teen carried a bag of chips on one hand and looked at them oddly upon getting closer.

"What's up?" Naruto asked, feeling confused as to why this teen suddenly walked up to them.

"Nothing, it's just that this is my spot," he explained while walking next to Naruto and, without warning, sitting next to him and in turn pushing him against Sakura.

Not expecting this bold move, Naruto's right hand touched the girl's inner thigh. Time slowed down for him as he watched Sakura's face change from shock, to embarrassment and, finally, to rage.

"Where the hell are you touching?"

Naruto's blood ran cold at her dangerously calm voice and quickly retracted his hand, "The guy pushed me!"

She looked at him with a calculating gaze, as if on wondering on what kind of punishment to give. Naruto hoped that she would let it go since it had all been the new guy's fault.

"Fine," she frowned and pushed him off the bench, "You're off the hook this time. But don't let it happen again."

"Sure." He let out a sigh of relief from his spot on the ground before turning his attention to the newly arrived teen who ate his chips as if nothing had happened. "Hey, could you at least apologize for doing that."

"Hehe. Sorry about that," the teen said sheepishly. "I was just a bit angry about something that happened earlier and acted like a jerk."

He put the chips away and gave a friendly wave, "My name's Choji by the way."

"I'm Sakura," the pink haired girl introduced before throwing a dismissive hand at Naruto, "That's just some dog I found on the street."

"Don't get your weird stories mixed up in the real world!" Naruto yelled out with an annoyed expression. He scoffed and crossed his arms, "Anyway, I'm Naruto."

Choji smiled, "Good to meet you guys." He took back his chips and took to eating again before a thought crossed his mind, "What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean?" Naruto responded with another question.

"I mean, it's kind of rare for someone who's not an Akimichi to be here. I guess they don't think it's worth it to go all the way to this park and then back to wherever they live."

Naruto and Sakura exchanged looks, agreeing with the fact that the reason was probably intimidation towards the wealthy clan.

"So what are you doing here?" Choji insisted with a spark of curiosity in his eyes.

"We came here to get a wea-"

Naruto began but was cut off by Sakura who, after hearing what he was going to say, jumped out of her seat and covered his mouth with both hands. The blond struggled against her hold with panic in his eyes, apparently she didn't notice that she was also blocking his nose.

"We came her to get a we… a wedding cake…" Sakura assured lamely. Choji seemed to be satisfied with the answer and got back to eating. She let out a sigh of relief and glanced at the teen under her hold, "Crap!"

His face was almost purple and she immediately let him go. He immediately gasped for air and once he felt better, gave the girl a glare.

"You almost killed me!"

Sakura had the decency to blush in embarrassment, "S-sorry about that."

'_Sorry about that,' _he repeated bitterly in his mind. He had almost died and al she could say was 'sorry.' He sighed. It had been kind of his fault for running his mouth so he decided to let the thing go, besides, it wasn't like it was a good reason to get angry at Sakura.

'_But still… she didn't have to do that,' _he thought grudgingly.

"We have to go now," Sakura told Choji with a polite smile before turning to Naruto, "It's been about an hour. Let's go Naruto."

"Alright," he agreed and gave Choji a nod, "See you later Choji."

"Yeah," the teen nodded at them with a friendly smile.


	5. Demon Fox Part 1

_Complete failure?_

… _ridiculously overpowered tiny fists._

_A sudden scream…_

… _everything hurts…_

* * *

><p><strong>Naruto: The Sealer<strong>

**Demon Fox Part 1**

Leftover artifacts…

On Jiraiya's words, their power depended on the supernatural being they came from; which was incorrect according to the heavy set man that towered before Naruto and Sakura.

"No, saying he was wrong is too much. Rather his information isn't complete."

"Then," Naruto spoke up with a frown, "You're saying that my mentor, being lazy and quite perverted, forgot to give me the full explanation."

The Akimichi chuckled, "That's the case with Jiraiya, he keeps on forgetting things. I don't know how many times I explained to him what the artifacts did when we were younger."

"So where's the artifact?" Sakura bluntly asked, her face a bit serious.

"Ever the hasty one, huh? Sakura-san…"

Her arms crossed as displeasure showed on her face, making the older man chuckle and reach behind where he sat. There was a wooden table in which the necklace rested, undergoing no change whatsoever. His large hand grasped the object before tossing it to Naruto, who caught it easily.

"Did you… Did you do anything to it?" Naruto wondered out loud, finding the necklace to be the same as always.

The Akimichi frowned, looking dejected. "Of course I did. Who do you think you're talking to?" He scoffed and rested his arm on the table while leaning back on his chair, "The artifact will not only be able to unleash its full potential, but it will also only work for you... But then again, that happens in most cases but you get the idea."

"It'll only work for me?"

Sakura slapped a hand to her forehead. She couldn't believe how far behind this guy was, it was as if he hadn't learned under her master's old acquaintance. "Don't worry Akimichi-san, I'll teach him how to use it and what it does."

The man merely nodded as Sakura pulled Naruto away by the arm despite his protests.

* * *

><p>"Listen up Naruto! I'll only explain this once."<p>

The air grew heavy around the two young Sealers that faced each other on a grassy clearing just off the park they had gone to just moments ago. Usually, Sakura wouldn't think of doing anything Sealer related out in the open but since it was starting to get dark and they were surrounded by tall trees, she was sure that nobody would see them. Not to mention that the park had been close to deserted earlier.

"Artifacts, this time your necklace, will only work for the person that activated it. These artifacts can turn into weapons, give the user enhanced abilities or bring out things we didn't know we had. The artifact's type depends on the creature they came from and on the person that activated it, which means that what we get out of them is not always certain."

Naruto nodded at the explanation. "Then since mine is a weapon, what can it do?"

"Whatever weapon the artifacts turn into is able to use certain abilities from the creature they came from. This time being an Enenra, I'm sure it'll have something to do with wind."

She smiled sympathetically at the end of the explanation, finding Naruto to be quite helpless. "You know, you shouldn't trust everyone you meet."

"Huh?" He let out incredulously, "Why are you smiling at me like one would a helpless child? And when have I ever given the impression I trust everyone?"

"Just now," she answered with a roll of her eyes. "You just told me what kind of weapon you use and, not too long ago, you were close to telling everything you know to the guy we met earlier."

Naruto pouted in return. "You know, you act really weird when it comes to that Akimichi," he rubbed his chin, feigning a thoughtful look, "Could it be that maybe Akimichi-san didn't take too well to you acting superior to everyone? And maybe he found a way to –"

"Take my virginity… is that what you were going to say?"

Naruto let out a disgruntled gasp. "What the hell? I wasn't. I wasn't!" His faced burned a bright red, "And what the hell kind of girl talks about that sort of stuff so openly?"

"Uzumaki-san, you are quite wrong in your old-fashioned belief that woman should be nice and proper all the time," Sakura crossed her arms, giving the teen a glare, "Go die. Sexist."

"S-Sorry!" Naruto exclaimed while vowing before the pink-haired girl.

Sakura only rolled her eyes at Naruto's antics, "I was joking."

"That isn't joking. That's just trampling on my feelings and stopping only few moments before they're completely crushed."

"Is that so?" She responded with a bored expression. "Are you saying, and let me get this straight. Are you saying that I'm a heartless person that finds making you miserable to be funny?"

"If you put it that way…" Naruto trailed off, feeling a bit bad for giving that impression. "I guess not."

"And here I thought you got to know me."

"What?" Naruto asked a bit skeptically. She was probably – no – she _had _to be joking. It was just another of her sick and twisted jokes that made him rack his brain for a single reply.

Sakura clapped her hands while letting out a sigh. "Enough of that, let's get to work!"

"Get to wo-?" He began but was cut off when seeing Sakura only inches away from him and, with a hardened expression on her face, throw a punch at his shocked face.

Everything seemed to slow down as the ridiculously overpowered tiny fist made contact with his jaw, cracking it on contact and snapping Naruto's face to the side as blood and spit left his gawking mouth. Pain shot through his system, making him aware of how dangerous the situation he was in really was, but not aware enough to dodge the incoming kick to his ribs that made his body buckle as he let out a loud scream of pain.

Sakura kept a blank look on her face as she lowered her left leg and planted it firmly on the ground before punching at the blond's face but, now being aware, he managed to duck under the blow and deliver an open-palm strike to her chest. It wasn't a strong attack but it managed to knock the girl back a couple of feet, giving him enough time to regain himself.

"What the hell are you doing?" Naruto exclaimed while wiping off the blood running down his mouth.

Sakura smirked slightly. "I remember telling you not to trust everyone and yet… You seem a bit hesitant, as if you don't believe that a person like me would attack you." His eyes showed a bit of hurt but she dismissed it, it was part of the plan after all. With that in mind, she put on a bored look and stretched her right arm, "You're just too trusting, Uzumaki-san."

"That may be true but…" Naruto trailed off as he took a firm hold on the medallion and swung his right arm, creating a powerful rush of air as a silver katana appeared on his hand. "I know what you're doing and it won't work."

"Could it be that you've been putting up an act this whole time and are a lot smarter than you let on?" Sakura couldn't help but wonder as she watched him twirl the blade on his hand. _'If that's the case then I completely misjudged him… and it would mean that he can be dangerous.'_

Naruto cocked his head to the side as a show of confusion after hearing the question. "Not really, you just don't look like the kind to suddenly turn on someone and laugh as you finish them off. You're more of the blatantly mean-spirited kind. Which means that, if you really wanted to attack me, you wouldn't have hidden your intention all this time."

"Uzumaki-san."

"Hmm?"

"I might have been staging all of this to get you to use all of your weapon's hidden powers but, after hearing what you really think of me, I feel the urge to meet bash your face in."

Naruto took a few steps back as Sakura began to walk towards him with a dangerously calm smile on her face. He could feel beads of sweat build up with each step she took and cursed himself for being so quick to speak.

"Sakura-chan…"

* * *

><p>It was dark as Sakura walked alongside a riverbank, her hair dishelmed and legs heavy. She and Naruto had sparred for hours until they both felt that he knew enough of his new weapon. It wasn't that impressive really, but it had some abilities that would come in handy. It suited his needs since he was so far behind that it wasn't even funny. Thinking of his reaction after hearing that made Sakura smile slightly, he had a very expressive face which made him fun to tease.<p>

She let herself linger in such thoughts for a few moments before her smile faded completely.

If what Tsunade said was true then she would need to help him get stronger. People were still disappearing and parts of town were damaged to a point where it would be hard to keep things quiet for much longer. She had been a bit skeptical about the story at first, not believing that there was such a strong supernatural being, but after seeing the serious look on her teacher's face, she knew that whatever was causing this was dangerous.

She took in a breath of fresh air just as her heart began to beat faster. Her eyes widened in shock as she placed a hand on her chest, breathing heavily without knowing the cause. It wasn't until her knees began to shake that she turned around and was met by a really odd sight.

A crouched figure with its face masked by the dark red hood of a zipped up jacket; wearing simple brown shorts that reached past its knees. But the things that stood out the most were the dark red nine tails that swayed slowly behind it.

Sakura could only watch as the figure stood on top of a light post with bright red eyes looking at her from underneath the hood. Her eyes were wide as pure fear washed over her.

The figure sneered before, with a single movement, it appeared right before her, its eyes just inches away from her own. She tried to scream but nothing came out, instead, she gasped when feeling something hard connect with her jaw. Blood splattered out of her mouth as she was sent sailing through the air before crashing against a nearby wall.

Sakura moaned in pain once falling on the ground, her vision was disoriented but she managed to make out the figure nearing her with its red eyes narrowed. Her whole body trembled as one of the tails wrapped around her ankles and pulled her up to be on eye-level. The figure dropped the hold on the girl, watching as she fell before kicking at her ribs and sending her through the air once more.

Sakura cried out in pain as she crashed against the street while the figure sneered in what seemed to be amusement. "S-Stop…" she whimpered as the figure began to move towards her, its tails now swaying wildly and shining brightly. "Stop!"

The figure's eyes lit up in glee before its head snapped to the side, tails straightening out in alarm after hearing a sound. It growled in annoyance, cast a last look at Sakura, and finally jumped away from the area to land on top of a nearby building.

"Sakura!"

Her weary green eyes caught sight of her master, Tsunade, rushing towards her with worry written all over her face.

"Hang in there, I'm here." Tsunade's hands glowed a light color green before she placed them over Sakura's body. The greenish light washing over the hurt Sakura, closing some of her wounds and easing her pain. At the same time, Tsunade kept a careful eye on the figure watching them with hungry red eyes. "I didn't think you'd be back out in the streets so soon," Tsunade spoke loudly, making the figure cock its head to the side. "Kyuubi…"

Silence.

Tsunade and the hooded figure stared each other down. Nine tails swaying slowly as a cool breeze washed over the area, ruffling their clothes. Sakura, who continued to be on the ground, had fallen unconscious once her wounds had healed, not having the energy to stay conscious any longer.

There would be no interruptions.

_But…_

Red eyes narrowed as the figure dropped down from the roof, creating a small crater once landing on the street. It stood in place, watching Tsunade before, with one last glance, running off and disappearing in the distance.

"Things are getting out of control…" Tsunade muttered before letting out a sigh. She scowled slightly, picked up Sakura, and began to walk away from the area that would surely be filled with people after hearing the loud impact caused by the Kyuubi's landing on the street.

"That pervert…" she growled after glancing at Sakura's unconscious form. "The seals did nothing to slow it down."

* * *

><p>Naruto grumbled as he sat up on his bed, eyes half-closed and hair a complete mess. His half-closed eyes glanced at the small desk next to his bed, spotting an alarm clock with blurry green lights. He squinted his eyes and noticed that it was just seven in the morning.<p>

"Why'd I have to wake up so early?"

He moved to the edge of the bed but, upon moving one leg, his eyes widened in pain and he brought a hand to his leg.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!" He rubbed his leg furiously while stretching it out, ridding himself of some of the pain.

Now fully awake, he inspected his leg but found nothing wrong. "Pulled a muscle..?" A yawn escaped his lips and he decided to drop the subject, it wasn't like it was anything serious, just some minor discomfort now.

"Alright!" Naruto let out as he got off the bed and stretched his sore arms and legs. Strange, he hadn't felt so worn out during his spar with Sakura but, again, he dropped the subject; this time because his stomach growled loudly, "Better get some food."

The blond got out of his room and made his way downstairs, passing by the living room and noticing Jiraiya sprawled on the couch again. He sighed. Couldn't the old man find anywhere else to sleep? It wasn't like there was only once bedroom on the house. He shook his head and went to the kitchen to find something to eat.

* * *

><p>It was a bad day, Naruto decided as, for the first time in weeks, he made his way to school. Some students recognized him while others looked at him as just another sad student going to the prison that was school. Naruto grumbled, annoyed each time he took a step. He didn't understand why he had to go to school! Much less, now <em>forced <em>by Jiraiya to go.

"That old pervert, acting like a responsible adult out of nowhere… Whatever, I'll manage as long as I don't get approached by one of those annoying 'I love school' students."

"Ah! Naruto-kun!"

_Already!_

He glanced over his shoulder to see the ever-energetic Lee walking over to him with a bright smile on his face. "Yo! Naruto-kun!" The teen slapped a hand to the blond's shoulder, earning a glare but not noticing. "You decided to come today!"

"Lee."

"What's up?"

"I'll race you to school."

Lee's eyes lit up in glee as he threw a hand up in the air, "Sound like something healthy young high school students would do!"

"Stop talking like you're an old men blissfully remembering the amount of energy he had when younger."

"Ah, but," Lee looked at Naruto suspiciously, "You're going to leave once I start running again, won't you?"

Naruto held up a hand and moved his index finger from side to side, his eyes closed and a smile of his face. "You don't understand Lee. I'm a changed man this time. Doing things like running away is something I absolutely cannot do. Don't you see that after challenging you to a race, I've put my male pride on the line. Not going through with this would be like giving up on it."

"I see!" Lee exclaimed in excitement. He let out a healthy laugh before placing both hands on the ground and getting into a starting running position. "Alright Naruto! I'm ready!"

Naruto smirked as he took a starting position as well. "Then let's go Lee!"

Smoke shot up in the area as Lee ran towards the school at full speed, leaving baffled students and a trail of kicked up dust behind.

"He really fell for it." Naruto told himself as he watched the other teen disappear in the distance.

"Despite not being here for a while, things haven't changed one bit."

"Hmm?" The blond gazed at his side to see an auburn-haired teen walking towards him, his eyes a bit downcast but that was normal. "Gaara? Why're you here so early?"

Said teen shrugged in response. "I've been early for weeks now. What about you Naruto? Judging by the puzzled look on your face, you haven't been here a lot longer than I first thought."

Naruto crossed his arms as he threw his head to the side. "I told you already that I already know what I'm gonna do when I get older. I even have all the skills I need right now. Going to school is just a waste of time."

"Is that so?" Gaara raised an eyebrow as he walked past Naruto who watched his friend leave with a frown. The blond's frown turned into a snarl as Gaara walked by and, before he could take another step, gripped his arm tightly. "What are you doing?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed on Gaara before widening in shock after seeing what he was doing. "S-Sorry about that…" He apologized with a shocked expression before letting go off his arm and gripping his chest tightly.

"Naruto..?" Gaara called out in puzzlement but the blond had already broken into a run and turned a corner. "What's wrong with him?" He asked himself, his gaze lingering on the street.

* * *

><p>His whole upper body burned. Hands shook as they rubbed his sweaty forehead before he let out a choked breath. It still burned, starting in his chest and burning all the way to the pit of his stomach.<p>

Naruto panted as he rested his back against the dark wall of an alley, having come because he wanted to be alone. These episodes were something he didn't wish to share with anybody.

He knew it wasn't normal to feel something like this. It was as if his body was warning him about something. Something dangerous that would happen or was near. And in some sick sense, he felt something akin to excitement, making his skin crawl and shiver in anticipation at the same time. As if some part of him had just begun a sick game.

"Why today?"

His eyebrows grew weary as he lowered himself into a sitting position.

"M-Master's going to be pissed…" he trailed off, his voice growing weaker, "I… missed school…"

* * *

><p>The cloaked silhouette of a man stood atop a tall tower overlooking large part of town. He watched with an amused smirk as people walked through the street.<p>

A low chuckle came from the cloaked man as he licked his lips.

"My oh my, it seems that its out of it's cage again. What a great time I chose to return."

* * *

><p><strong>So, yeah. Shit just got real. <strong>

**And sorry about taking so long to update but I've been busy. I don't really think I'll keep a consistent pace since coming up with the chapters is a lot more tiring than it sounds. **


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